I used to hate pair programming. Now that I work remotely 100% of the time, I absolutely love it. I can't really get other people to do it much, but I take any opportunity I get.

I used to go into the office every day. There were so many distractions. People were talking to me all the time. I just wanted to escape to a quiet corner and hide, to get some work done. Pairing just felt like more noise and more pressure.

Working from home though, it's always quiet. It's lonely quiet. Pair programming feels like water in the desert. Lighting fast communication through speaking, instead of the slow peck of a chat client. Getting answers immediately, sharing screens. Compared to screenshots and email and slack, it feels like I'm plugged directly into someone else's brain. Like we have ESP.

Yet I'm sure that if I were to return to an open office layout, I would quickly start to crave the quiet again.

Do I just want what I don't have? Or is a hybrid schedule the ideal? Some of the time alone and then some time together.